Hack Heaven (And Hell)

Stephen Glass almost had it all. A promising young journalist, he wrote dozens of well-received articles for Rolling Stone, George, and The New Republic, where he rose through the ranks to become an associate editor.

The story of Ian Restil, a 15-year-old hacker, did him in. Why?

Because every word of it was bullshit.

It took the curiosity and investigative verve of Adam Penenberg from the nascent Forbes Digital Tool to unravel the story, and unravel it he did.

We were convinced that the story was a fake but we thought that no sane person would create such a ridiculous fiction. I assumed that a clever hoax had been set up to embarrass a journalist whose reporting left a lot to be desired. — Forbes Digital Tool

Stephen Glass in 2013

From Jukt Micronics to the Big Bad Bionic Boy, join us as we recount the entire ordeal. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, or just click the player below: